Entrance to museums and open-air archaeological sites is free on Wednesday, May 18, as Greece celebrates the International Museums Day.
The Greek Department of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) that established the special day dedicated to museums has also initiated a series of events to be held online in 90 institutions across the country due to the pandemic measures.
Speaking to state-run news agency amna, Teti Hatzinikolaou, Historian-Ethnologist, Chairman of the Board of the Hellenic Department of the International Council of Museums said the ICOM selects each year a special theme related to museums and their role in modern society.
This year the topic is “The Future of Museums: Reflection and Restart”, an option that invites people to explore the perspectives, needs, but also the role of museums in the new conditions that have been created due to the pandemic.
“It is a fact that the prolonged crisis of Covid-19 took the whole planet by surprise and in an unprecedented and violent way, affecting every aspect of social life, with a particularly severe impact on the operation of museums. On the other hand, the pandemic has given impetus to the promotion of significant changes that have already been launched and are particularly relevant to the digitization of museum collections and the search for new ways of attracting the public. The digital shift that took place helped the Museums not to remain silent, while they often managed to reach a remote audience. Two ICOM investigations into the effects of the pandemic have shown that museums have changed and will now operate under different conditions,” Harzinikolaou said.
We remind you that today the entrance to museums and open-air archeological sites is free, while the events held by more than 90 institutions from all over Greece are online this year due to the pandemic. The events have been posted on the website of the Greek Department of ICOM here also in English. (http://icom-greece.mini.icom.museum/).
On the occasion of the celebration, the Greek Department of ICOM organizes during the month of May various cultural events throughout Greece.
The events have been posted on the website of the Greek Department of ICOM here also in English.
The Greek Department of ICOM also honors one or more Greek museums every year, where the main event of the celebration takes place. Honored this year is the National History Museum at the Old Parliament on Stadiou Avenue.